BOSTON CELTICS VS. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS PREVIEW – MARCH 5, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Total Apex Sports. One of the games on tap from tonight’s slate features the Boston Celtics (48-12 SU, 30-27-3 ATS) taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-21 SU, 29-29-2 ATS).
Here is a look at how at the current trends for both teams heading into this matchup.
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers — Regular Season Stats & Trends
Can The Celtics Extend Their Streak To 12 Games?
Boston Celtics Season Stats:
- Scoring Offense: 121.3 PPG – 3RD
- Offensive Efficiency: 122.7 points per 100 possessions – 1ST
- Scoring Defense: 109.9 PPG – 4TH
- Defensive Efficiency: 111.2 points per 100 possessions – 2ND
There are not enough superlatives in the English language when it comes to discussing the Boston Celtics. They have the best record in the Eastern Conference and the best record in the association. Boston also has a comfortable eight-game lead in the conference playoff race.
Additionally, they have posted wins in each of their last 11 contests. This includes a 140-88 win against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Jaylen Brown paced the Celtics with 29 points on 11-for-19 shooting from the field. He also connected on five of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum added 27 points, five assists, and three rebounds while shooting 9-for-13 from the floor and 4-for-8 from 3-point range.
This contest proved to be a one-sided affair on multiple fronts. The Celtics led by a 44-22 margin after the first 12 minutes of action. They increased their lead to 82-38 at halftime en route to the team’s third-largest win in franchise history.
“It feels great, but, at the same time, it’s always within humility,” Brown said after the game. “We don’t take the game for granted. We didn’t come and mess around and that’s just how we show our respect to the game; we handle business and take care of it. … It’s a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors, but we feel like it’s our time now.”
For whatever reason, the Warriors opted to use a soft brand of defense on Brown. He made them pay the price, scoring 19 points in the opening stanza.
“For the most part my job is to get to the paint,” Brown said via CBS Sports. “We got enough 3-point shooters on our team, so I don’t take a lot of 3s for the most part throughout the season because we have enough of that. I get to the paint to open it up for everybody else, but if you want to dare me to shoot, we can do that too. I thought it was a little disrespectful, but we took advantage of it and didn’t look back.”
As if the 140 points on offense were not impressive enough, the Celtics also excelled at the other end of the floor. The Warriors shot 39.1 percent from the field while connecting on just seven of their 41 attempts from distance.
Simply put, the Celtics are playing at a championship level right now.
Can The Cavaliers Keep Pace With The League’s Top Team?
Cleveland Cavaliers Season Stats:
- Scoring Offense: 114.3 PPG – 18TH
- Offensive Efficiency: 116.2 points per 100 possessions – 16TH
- Scoring Defense: 109.5 PPG – 2ND
- Defensive Efficiency: 111.3 points per 100 possessions – 3RD
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers currently hold down the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference and trail the second-place Milwaukee Bucks by just one game in the standings. The Cavaliers have gone 5-5 over their last 10 outings and come into this matchup on the heels of a 107-98 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Sam Merrill – who averages 8.6 points per contest – scored a team-high 21 points off the bench on 7-for-13 from the field.
Darius Garland added 19 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Jarrett Allen finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff offered an honest assessment of his team’s performance against the Knicks.
“I thought we played in spurts,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I thought we had a good second quarter. I thought we had a good fourth quarter effort-wise. But to come out of halftime and give up 36 points to a team that was down as many guys as they were down, that’s disappointing. Defensively, we’ve got to be better than that.
The Cavaliers will need a solid effort at both ends of the floor to win against a Celtics squad that is playing at an extremely high level.
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